SUCCOT 2010 CELEBRATION AND TOUR TO ISRAEL: SEPT. 22 TO SEPT. 29: Barry and Batya Segal extend a warm invitation for you to attend The Succot Celebration (Feast of Tabernacles) in Jerusalem together with the remnant of Israel and the remnant from the nations. Speakers and worship leaders for the 2010 celebration: Lance Lambert, Barry and Batya Segal, Frank and Marlou van Essen, David Silver, Mattheus van der Steen, and more to come. There will be an optional tour group package available beforehand which will be touring all over Israel. This year there will be a direct flight from the USA with no stopovers in Europe! For more information and instructions on how to participate go to: www.succotcelebration.com 

GUN BATTLES ROCK PAKISTAN CITY AFTER TERRORISTS KILL CHRISTIANS: Gun battles broke out in a predominantly Christian neighborhood of the Pakistani city of Faisalabad Monday, July 19, shortly after two Christian evangelists were shot and killed by suspected Islamic terrorists. Christian and Muslim gunmen exchanged gunfire for at least five hours in Daud Nagar area, said a spokesman from a major Christian advocacy group that is trying to calm the situation. "The situation is very tense," he added. As evening fell gun fire could still be heard late into the night. (Worthy Christian News) Pray for the safety and courage of Christians in hostile Islamic regions.

TENS OF THOUSANDS MARK TISHA B’AV AT WESTERN WALL: Tisha B'Av means "the ninth (day) of the Hebrew month of Av."  It usually occurs during July/August.  Tens of thousands of worshipers streamed on Monday evening and Tuesday to the Western Wall plaza, the only remnant of the ancient Jewish Holy Temple, to mark Tisha B'Av - the date of the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. (INN)  Tisha B'Av is the culmination of a three week period of increasing mourning, beginning with the fast of the 17th of Tammuz, which commemorates the first breach in the walls of Jerusalem, before the First Temple was destroyed. During this three week period, weddings and other parties are not permitted, and people refrain from cutting their hair. From the first to the ninth of Av, it is customary to refrain from eating meat or drinking wine (except on the Sabbath) and from wearing new clothing. Many intercessors have consistently seen this period of time as a season when demonic dark forces have historically sought to take advantage against God's covenant land and people of Israel. This calls for special prayer watchfulness over Israel and Jewish people in the nations.

A TIME OF ATTACKS: The following are among some of the events that have taken place within the month of Av itself: 586 B.C. & 70 C.E.:  Both the first and second Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed during this month. 1492, 7th of Av: King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expelled all Jews who refused conversion from Spain.  1929, 17th of Av: 67 Jewish adults and children were massacred by Muslim Arabs in Hebron. 1994, 10th of Av: Muslim Arabs bombed the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 86 and wounding more than 300—the deadliest attack in the Diaspora since the Holocaust. 2005, 10th of Av: thousands of Jews began to be forcibly expelled from 25 towns and settlements in the Gaza Strip and Northern Samaria, as part of the "Disengagement Plan."  (Encounters Network)

ISRAELIS WANT THEIR TEMPLE BACK: Israelis on Monday evening marked the beginning of Tisha B'Av, the national day of mourning over the loss of Israel's ancient temples. The First Temple was destroyed 2,500 years ago by the Babylonians, and the Second Temple was demolished 2,000 years ago by the Romans. To mark the day, the Knesset TV Channel conducted a survey asking Israelis if they desire the building of a Third Temple.  A 49% plurality said they do. Only 23% said they do not want a Third Temple. However, 48% said they don't think the State of Israel should take active steps to reclaim control of the Temple Mount and build a Third Temple there. Israelis fear the hostile and violent international and Muslim reaction that such a move would certainly evoke. The Muslim authorities that today control the Temple Mount play off those fears, and Jews are rarely allowed to visit the site. Jews and Christians alike are forbidden to utter prayers or carry Bibles atop the Temple Mount. (Israel Today)

NEW LUXURY MALL OPENS IN ‘BESIEGED’ GAZA: While Hamas continues to complain that Gaza lacks building materials, a luxury mall in Gaza City held its grand opening over the weekend.  Among the goods on sale are items from Turkey, France, and the US.  Photojournalist Tom Gross said, "The BBC and other media have featured extensive reports on what they term the dire economic situation in Gaza; why are they not mentioning the new shopping mall that opened there yesterday?”  A variety of stores sell cosmetics, clothing, office supplies, toys, shoes, appliances and more. The mall boasts air conditioning and a delivery service. Hamas has often accused Israel of creating a “siege” by keeping its border crossings to Gaza closed.  According to Hamas, Gaza lacks electricity and building supplies.  Gross, who has previously posted pictures of fancy restaurants, shops filled with goods, and even an Olympic-size swimming pool during the “Israeli siege,” pointed out Gaza enjoys a higher standard of living than Turkey, which recently sent citizens on a flotilla to Gaza in violation of an Israeli naval blockade of Hamas. (INN)

TERRORIST SHOT POLICEMAN AFTER ISRAEL CARED FOR HIS DAUGHTER: Police and Shin Bet agents have tracked down and arrested members of a Hamas terrorist cell responsible for a June shooting attack that killed Israeli police officer Shuki Sofer. Two other officers were wounded in the attack. Sofer was engaged to be married.  One of the terrorists admitted that just two weeks before the shooting, he had been in Hadassah Ein Karem hospital in Jerusalem, where his six-year-old daughter underwent surgery funded by an Israeli organization. (INN) “They repay me evil for good and hatred for my friendship.”  Ps 109: 5

SPANISH PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE BAN ON PUBLIC BURQAS: Spanish lawmakers will debate barring burqas in public, joining other European countries considering similar moves on the grounds the body-covering garments are degrading to women, the leading opposition party said Sunday. Top officials of the ruling Socialist Party have indicated they will support the proposal by the opposition Popular Party, making a ban likely unless the country's highest court rules it unconstitutional. (AP)

YOUR DONATIONS ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED: Please continue to enable us to assist terrorist victims, entire households suffering from poverty, the elderly and others in need in Israel. Your donations are needed and welcomed at www.visionforisrael.com  Make your online donation today. For residents in the UK and outside North America you can visit www.josephstorehouse.co.uk 


Blessings from Jerusalem,
Barry Segal with the Editorial Staff